Understanding the ATD coaching process and why creating a partnership helps identify client needs

Coaching that sticks: why the first step is all about partnership

If you’ve ever sat with a coach or mentor and felt seen, you know it when it happens. The air changes a little. Questions land with more precision. Goals stop feeling like fog and start taking the shape of real steps. In talent development, that moment often comes in the ATD Coaching Process—the step where the coach and client decide to work together as partners. And yes, this is the one where you figure out what the client actually needs.

Let’s lay out the map first. In many frameworks, the four steps go like this: clarify the agreement, create a partnership, construct a development plan, and collaborate and challenge. Each step has a job, but the partnership phase is the hinge. It’s where trust is earned, needs are surfaced, and the coaching journey is set up to land where it matters most. The goal isn’t just to hand over a plan; it’s to co-create clarity with the client so every move afterward feels relevant and doable.

Why “Create a Partnership” is the keystone

Here’s the thing about needs: they’re rarely a single sentence or a tidy bullet point. They’re woven into context—roles, team dynamics, personal motivation, organizational culture, and even timing. That’s why the partnership step matters. It’s where the coach and client establish a shared language and a shared purpose. Without that, even the most elegant development plan can wander off course.

In practice, this phase is less about stating what the client should do and more about listening to what they are trying to achieve. The coach asks, the client explains, and together they map out what success looks like. This isn’t a one-and-done chat. It’s a dialog that invites honesty, curiosity, and a touch of vulnerability—the kind of candor that makes a plan feel possible rather than theoretical.

A real-world sense of what happens in the partnership phase

Imagine a mid‑level manager who wants to lead teams more effectively. During the partnership phase, the coach might:

• Ask open-ended questions: What outcomes matter most to you in the next quarter? Where do you feel stuck with your current team?

• Listen actively and reflectively: Paraphrasing their points to confirm understanding, noticing emotions behind the words, recognizing patterns.

• Surface needs and gaps: Is the concern about communication, delegation, or decision speed? Are there constraints in time, budget, or team bandwidth?

• Co-create a shared purpose: What does a successful year look like for you and your team? What would be a meaningful milestone?

• Build early momentum: Identify a small, tangible change they can try in the next couple of weeks to test a hypothesis.

You’ll notice a few things here. The coach isn’t dictating a path; they’re inviting the client to co-own the journey. There’s space for questions, for reflection, for little experiments. That’s the essence of partnership—the environment where learning grows most effectively.

From needs to nuance: what “needs” really looks like in CPTD contexts

In talent development, needs aren’t just about skills gaps. They also reflect readiness, confidence, and the dynamics of influence. A good partnership surfaces questions such as:

• What outcomes are most valuable to the organization, and why?

• Which skills will have the biggest payoff if developed first?

• What obstacles could get in the way, and how can we address them early?

• How does the client prefer to learn—through action, reflection, feedback, or a mix?

• What will tell us we’ve made progress, and when should we adjust course?

That last point—progress signals—matters. It keeps the process grounded in reality. It prevents the coaching journey from becoming an airy ideal. The client notes early wins, the coach helps translate those wins into scalable moves, and the partnership remains a living agreement rather than a one-off session.

Keeping the momentum without losing the human touch

A strong partnership feels conversational, not ceremonial. It’s okay to mix a few casual phrases with professional precision. For example, you might say, “Let’s test a tiny change and see what happens,” or “I want to understand the real impact you’re aiming for—can you tell me more about that?” These micro-dialogues help keep both sides engaged.

At the same time, there’s value in structure. The partnership phase benefits from a light framework—enough to guide the conversation but not so rigid that it stifles candor. A simple approach:

• Establish trust in the first meeting with clear boundaries and shared expectations.

• Explore the client’s current reality, including strengths, constraints, and preferred learning styles.

• Align on a few high-impact goals that feel both ambitious and doable.

• Agree on how you’ll measure progress and adjust when needed.

And yes, this is exactly the moment where a coach may nod toward the upcoming steps—how a development plan will be shaped, how collaboration will work, and what “challenge” will look like in practice. But none of that should feel like a lecture. The aim is to keep the client in the driver’s seat—still guided, but empowered.

How this perspective helps you tackle CPTD-style questions

If you’re studying topics related to the CPTD framework, you’ll likely encounter questions about where the coach focuses first when working with clients. The correct answer, in the common ATD coaching model, is Create a Partnership. Why? Because this phase is where needs are truly identified and trust is built, which then informs every subsequent move.

A practical way to study: when you see a question about needs, think in terms of relationship and clarity. Ask yourself:

• Which step emphasizes understanding the client’s needs and goals?

• Where is the foundation built—before any plan or collaboration takes place?

• Which step explicitly involves conversations to surface the client’s aspirations and gaps?

By anchoring your reasoning in the core purpose of the partnership phase, you’ll develop a lens that helps with other questions too. It’s less about memorizing every detail and more about seeing how the pieces connect to create meaningful development.

Turning insights into action: practical tips for CPTD learners

• Start with listening as your primary tool. Good questions beat long speeches every time.

• Document a concise partnership statement. It doesn’t have to be formal—just a sentence or two that captures the client’s goals, needs, and agreed success indicators.

• Use reflective language. Paraphrase what you hear and check for accuracy. It reinforces trust and ensures you’re on the same page.

• Keep a flexible horizon. The needs you discover may shift as you learn more. Stay curious and ready to adjust.

• Tie partnership insights to tangible next steps. Even small, observable actions help maintain momentum.

A gentle detour you’ll appreciate

Think about the last time you observed someone grow in a team setting. Often the turning point wasn’t a grand strategy but a simple, honest conversation that reframed a challenge as an opportunity. In coaching, the partnership phase mirrors that moment. It’s where you trade vague hopes for concrete understandings, and where trust—built with careful listening and genuine questions—becomes the engine of progress.

Bringing it back to the CPTD journey

In talent development, the coaching process isn’t just a box to be checked. It’s a living practice that shapes how leaders learn, adapt, and guide others. When you recognize that the most important step is creating a partnership, you place the client’s needs at the center. You connect the dots between their real-world context and the skills they’ll develop. And you set up a practical path where small wins compound into meaningful growth.

So, if you’re ever unsure which step is about identifying needs, remember this: the partnership moment is the hinge. It’s where the coach and client sit down together, speak honestly, and decide what counts as success. It’s the point where the journey becomes personal, relevant, and doable.

Closing thought: partnerships as daily practice

You don’t need a grand gesture to honor this step. Acknowledge the client’s voice. Clarify what matters most. And commit to walking alongside them in a way that feels collaborative, not ceremonial. That’s the essence of a strong partnership—and the kind of coaching that sticks, even when the going gets busy.

If you’re mapping out a CPTD learning path, remember: when questions surface about who drives the discovery of needs, the answer is Create a Partnership. It’s not just a step in a framework; it’s the heartbeat of effective development. And once that heartbeat is steady, the rest—building plans, inviting challenge, and delivering results—takes shape with greater clarity and confidence.